one eye, now both closed. Visited Vet. I would like your thoughts

[Spearo]

HOPEFULLY SOME CHAM EXPERTS CAN CHIME IN AND POSSIBLY GIVE ADVICE OR SHARE AN EXPERIENCE. LOOKING AT THINGS ON THIS FORUM NOW IT SEEMS OUR PRIOR CARE WASNT TOP NOTCH




1 EYE CLOSED, THEN OPENED UP FOR A FEW DAYS THEN CLOSED AGAIN. WE WENT ON VACATION AND LEFT WITH A FRIEND, KEPT IN THEIR BASEMENT AT PROB AROUND 65 DEGS AT NIGHT FOR 5 DAYS. CAME BACK TO A CHAM WITH BOTH EYES CLOSED. THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS ARE OUR CARE *PRIOR TO OUR VET VISIT 4/21. I WILL INCLUDE A POST VET UPDATE WITH IMPROVED CARE AND VET INSTRUCTIONS

NAME: CHAMMY – VEILED CHAM, M, 3.5YRS

How long has it been in your care? 3YRS

How often do you handle your chameleon? ALMOST NEVER

What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? WAX WORMS 4-5, ONCE EVERY OTHER DAY

What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?REPTIVITE DUSTED WAX WORMS

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? SLOW WATER DRIPPER ONTO LEAVES. WE SEE HIM DRINKING.

How often and how long to you mist?NO MIST

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. MOSTLY BROWN, SOME YELLOW/WHITE. SOFT.

Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? NO

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) SCREENED

What are the dimensions? 18”X18”X36”

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? 65WATT FOR HEAT. 5.0 UVB REPTISUN 13WATT MINI FLUORESCENT

What is your daily lighting schedule?12HR ON, 12HR OFF

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? 90 DEG

Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 72 DEG, CHEAP STICK ON THERMOMETER

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? 30% HUMIDITY FROM FURNACE, CHEAP STICK ON HUMIDISTAT

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?FAKE PLANTS/VINES

Placement - Where is your cage located? 2ND FLOOR BEDROOM

Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? NO FANS/AIR VENTS, SOME TRAFFIC

At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 5FT

Location - Where are you geographically located? CHICAGO

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. HE STARTED KEEPING HIS RIGHT EYE CLOSED, NO SWELLING. WE REPLACED THE UVB 5.0 IN A WEEK AFTER WE SAW THE EYE. THEN WE WENT ON VACATION. BROUGHT HIM TO A FRIENDS HOUSE TO CHAM SIT. GOT A CALL HIS LEFT EYE WAS CLOSE TOO AND A BIT SWOLLEN. WITH BOTH EYES CLOSED HE DIDNT EAT/POOP/DRINK FOR 2 DAYS WE WENT TO THE VET, THEY GAVE US (3) VITAMIN A DOSES TO BE SYRINGE FED ONCE EVERY 10 DAYS. THEY GAVE US CEFTIOFUR .01ML TO BE INJECTED WITH A NEEDLE IN HIS FRONT LEG ONCE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS – THAT WAS TOUGH – WE WOULD ALTERNATE LEFT/RIGHT LEGS EVERY DAY. THEY GAVE US A BAG OF OX BOW CARNIVORE CARE TO BE MIXED WITH WATER AND SYRINGE FED 2X A DAY 6ML EACH, ALTHOUGH I BUMPED IT UP TO 7 AND 8ML HERE AND THERE.

WHEN HANDLING FOR CURRENT FEEDINGS WITH SYRINGE, HE DOES OPEN HIS EYES. IT SEEMS HE WILL OPEN THEM WHEN HE'S ANGRY. I CANT MAKE OUT HIS PUPIL WHEN HE OPENS HIS EYES. HE SEEMS ACTIVE AND STRONG WHEN HANDLED. IN THE CAGE HE DOES MOVE AROUND AND ENDS UP SLEEPING IN DIFFERENT SPOTS. HIS WANDERING AROUND THE CAGE IS ONLY 10% OF WHAT HE USED TO DO. I HAVE STOPPED THE WATER DRIPPER BECAUSE I DIDINT THINK HE CAN SEE THE WATER TO DRINK. HE HASNT SHOT HIS TONGUE SINCE HIS 2ND EYE CLOSED. TOMORROW I WILL START THE WATER BACK UP REGARDLESS.HE IS POOPING AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, BACK TO MOSTLY BROWN WITH SOME WHITE, SEEMS SOFT.


CARE IMPROVEMENTS MADE:

I HAVE COVERED 3 SIDES OF THE CAGE WITH FOIL TO IMPROVE HEATING AND HUMIDITY

I HAVE INSTALLED A FOGGER, HUMIDITY IS NOW AT LEAST 60% FOR 12HRS OF THE DAY

I HAVE INSTALLED A CERAMIC BULB HEATER FOR NIGHT TIME, IT KEEPS IT ABOUT 80 DEG OVER NIGHT NEAR THE TOP WHERE HE SLEEPS. FOR 12 HRS

I BOUGHT A TEMP GUN TO TAKE TEMP READINGS THROUGHOUT HIS CAGE

I APPRECIATE ANY THOUGHTS/FEED BACK. I AM TRYING TO HELP TAKE BETTER CARE OF MY SON'S CHAMMY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.

THANK YOU,
BRIAN

 

[serenaj25]

Hi, I am so sorry to hear that your Cham is not feeling well. Even though you have a dripper, you still need to mist him and his cage for humidity reasons and so that if there is anything stuck in his eye he can flush it out. The cage you have for him is much too small for an adult male veiled. Try something around 4 feet tall and 2 feet wide minimum, the larger the better. Also, the temp drop at night is healthy for the chameleons and night heat bulbs are unnecessary unless the temperature goes below 65 degrees or around there. Wax worms should not be a staple feeder either. They are like candy for your Cham as they are very high in fat and don't have as many nutrients as they need. Staple feeder should be crickets. Also, you should be feeding a variety of gut loaded insects to give your Cham as many vitamins and nutrients as possible. Hopefully this helps. You can also try giving him a shower (put a plant in the shower and aim warm NOT HOT water at the wall so only a fine mist lands on the plant with the chameleon. This will help him flush out his eyes and hydrate him. Please never leave him unattended in there and there should never be direct stream of water hitting him or his plant

 

[Spearo]

Thank you for the response. Hes very small so i think the cage is good. I will include some pictures of him and the set up. From reading other threads i should put more plants/vines in his cage it seems.

 

[Spearo]

Here is some poop. Who doesn't like a good poop pic. It seems runny but he dropped it in the water collector

 

[Spearo]

 

[Spearo]

 

[Spearo]

 

[Spearo]

 

[Spearo]

View attachment 181702

 

[Spearo]

his eyes open up because I'm handling him, otherwise they stay closed. Its almost like his pupil is below the opening in the eye lid.

 

[kinyonga]

Couldn't be the glare from the tinfoil could it that's making him close the eyes?

 

[TheAmazingGerby]

To help the humidity and temp, I have a shower curtain placed around 3 sides of my chams cage. Maybe something like that would be better than tin foil?

 

[Spearo]

Couldn't be the glare from the tinfoil could it that's making him close the eyes?

No, the issue started before the tin foil. ty though

 

[Spearo]

To help the humidity and temp, I have a shower curtain placed around 3 sides of my chams cage. Maybe something like that would be better than tin foil?

That is a way better idea than tin foil! thank you for that.

 

[kinyonga]

HOPEFULLY SOME CHAM EXPERTS CAN CHIME IN AND POSSIBLY GIVE ADVICE OR SHARE AN EXPERIENCE. LOOKING AT THINGS ON THIS FORUM NOW IT SEEMS OUR PRIOR CARE WASNT TOP NOTCH




1 EYE CLOSED, THEN OPENED UP FOR A FEW DAYS THEN CLOSED AGAIN. WE WENT ON VACATION AND LEFT WITH A FRIEND, KEPT IN THEIR BASEMENT AT PROB AROUND 65 DEGS AT NIGHT FOR 5 DAYS. CAME BACK TO A CHAM WITH BOTH EYES CLOSED. THE FOLLOWING ANSWERS ARE OUR CARE *PRIOR TO OUR VET VISIT 4/21. I WILL INCLUDE A POST VET UPDATE WITH IMPROVED CARE AND VET INSTRUCTIONS

NAME: CHAMMY – VEILED CHAM, M, 3.5YRS
This chameleon is 3.5 years old? Looks small for that. Check the heels for tarsal spurs (males have them, females don't)...it looks female to me. Females can produce eggs even when not mated so there should be an egglaying container in the cage if it is female.

How long has it been in your care? 3YRS

How often do you handle your chameleon? ALMOST NEVER

What are you feeding your cham? What amount? What is the schedule? How are you gut-loading your feeders? WAX WORMS 4-5, ONCE EVERY OTHER DAY
You're only feeding it 4 or 5 wax worms other day? That may be why it's small...it should have been getting a lot more insects than that and waxworms are a bad choice for the basic feeder. They're too fatty. Gutloaded crickets and superworms and roaches, etc would be better choices.

What brand and type of calcium and vitamin products are you dusting your feeders with and what is the schedule?REPTIVITE DUSTED WAX WORMS
It's recommended that you dust the insects just before feeding them to the chameleon with a phosphorous-free calcium powder at almost every feeding. This helps make up for the poor ratio of calcium to phosphorous found in most feeder insects. It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a phosphorous-free calcium/D3 powder to ensure that the chameleon gets some D3 without overdosing it and leaving it to produce the rest from its exposure to the UVB. D3 from supplements can build up in the system and lead to health issues but D3 produced from exposure to the UVB won't as long as the chameleon can move in and out of the UVB at will. It's recommended that you dust twice a month with a vitamin powder that contains a beta carotene prOformed source of vitamin A. prEformed sources can build up in the system. This leaves it up to you to decide if it needs prEformed or not.

Feeding and gutloading the insects is important too. Crickets, roaches, superworms, locusts can be fed a wide assortment of thing like dandelion greens, kale, endive, escarole, carrots, squash, sweet potato, sweet red pepper, zucchini, etc and a bit of fruit such as berries, pears, apples, melon.

Watering - What kind of watering technique do you use? Do you see your chameleon drinking? SLOW WATER DRIPPER ONTO LEAVES. WE SEE HIM DRINKING.

How often and how long to you mist?NO MIST
The cage should be misted several times a day.

Fecal Description - Briefly note colors and consistency from recent droppings. MOSTLY BROWN, SOME YELLOW/WHITE. SOFT.

Has this chameleon ever been tested for parasites? NO

History - Any previous information about your cham that might be useful to others when trying to help you.

Cage Type - Describe your cage (Glass, Screen, Combo?) SCREENED

What are the dimensions? 18”X18”X36”

Lighting - What brand, model, and types of lighting are you using? 65WATT FOR HEAT. 5.0 UVB REPTISUN 13WATT MINI FLUORESCENT

What is your daily lighting schedule?12HR ON, 12HR OFF

Temperature - What temp range have you created (cage floor to basking spot)? 90 DEG
No lights at night and cage temperature should be below 70F.

Lowest overnight temp? How do you measure these temps? 72 DEG, CHEAP STICK ON THERMOMETER

Humidity - What are your humidity levels? How are you creating and maintaining these levels? What do you use to measure humidity? 30% HUMIDITY FROM FURNACE, CHEAP STICK ON HUMIDISTAT

Plants - Are you using live plants? If so, what kind?FAKE PLANTS/VINES
Live are better...and nontoxic since veileds will eat them sometimes.

Placement - Where is your cage located? 2ND FLOOR BEDROOM

Is it near any fans, air vents, or high traffic areas? NO FANS/AIR VENTS, SOME TRAFFIC

At what height is the top of the cage relative to your room floor? 5FT

Location - Where are you geographically located? CHICAGO

Current Problem - The current problem you are concerned about. HE STARTED KEEPING HIS RIGHT EYE CLOSED, NO SWELLING. WE REPLACED THE UVB 5.0 IN A WEEK AFTER WE SAW THE EYE. THEN WE WENT ON VACATION. BROUGHT HIM TO A FRIENDS HOUSE TO CHAM SIT. GOT A CALL HIS LEFT EYE WAS CLOSE TOO AND A BIT SWOLLEN. WITH BOTH EYES CLOSED HE DIDNT EAT/POOP/DRINK FOR 2 DAYS WE WENT TO THE VET, THEY GAVE US (3) VITAMIN A DOSES TO BE SYRINGE FED ONCE EVERY 10 DAYS. THEY GAVE US CEFTIOFUR .01ML TO BE INJECTED WITH A NEEDLE IN HIS FRONT LEG ONCE A DAY FOR 10 DAYS – THAT WAS TOUGH – WE WOULD ALTERNATE LEFT/RIGHT LEGS EVERY DAY. THEY GAVE US A BAG OF OX BOW CARNIVORE CARE TO BE MIXED WITH WATER AND SYRINGE FED 2X A DAY 6ML EACH, ALTHOUGH I BUMPED IT UP TO 7 AND 8ML HERE AND THERE.

WHEN HANDLING FOR CURRENT FEEDINGS WITH SYRINGE, HE DOES OPEN HIS EYES. IT SEEMS HE WILL OPEN THEM WHEN HE'S ANGRY. I CANT MAKE OUT HIS PUPIL WHEN HE OPENS HIS EYES. HE SEEMS ACTIVE AND STRONG WHEN HANDLED. IN THE CAGE HE DOES MOVE AROUND AND ENDS UP SLEEPING IN DIFFERENT SPOTS. HIS WANDERING AROUND THE CAGE IS ONLY 10% OF WHAT HE USED TO DO. I HAVE STOPPED THE WATER DRIPPER BECAUSE I DIDINT THINK HE CAN SEE THE WATER TO DRINK. HE HASNT SHOT HIS TONGUE SINCE HIS 2ND EYE CLOSED. TOMORROW I WILL START THE WATER BACK UP REGARDLESS.HE IS POOPING AT LEAST ONCE A DAY, BACK TO MOSTLY BROWN WITH SOME WHITE, SEEMS SOFT.


CARE IMPROVEMENTS MADE:

I HAVE COVERED 3 SIDES OF THE CAGE WITH FOIL TO IMPROVE HEATING AND HUMIDITY
Remove foil...use a shower curtain instead or that plastic corrugated "cardboard".

I HAVE INSTALLED A FOGGER, HUMIDITY IS NOW AT LEAST 60% FOR 12HRS OF THE DAY

I HAVE INSTALLED A CERAMIC BULB HEATER FOR NIGHT TIME, IT KEEPS IT ABOUT 80 DEG OVER NIGHT NEAR THE TOP WHERE HE SLEEPS. FOR 12 HRS they need lower temperatures at night...and no light.

I BOUGHT A TEMP GUN TO TAKE TEMP READINGS THROUGHOUT HIS CAGE

I APPRECIATE ANY THOUGHTS/FEED BACK. I AM TRYING TO HELP TAKE BETTER CARE OF MY SON'S CHAMMY. THANK YOU FOR YOUR TIME.
Hope this helps.
THANK YOU,
BRIAN